Android Phone Fans |
- Aereo finally arrives on Google Play, lets you stream live television on your phone or tablet
- Omate TrueSmart will not launch with Google Play and Google Services
- PSA: Careful with those Nexus 5 “pre-orders” popping up on eBay
- YouTube update rolling out on Google Play, future plans for background audio hidden within [DOWNLOAD]
- Samsung said to limit third-party accessory support
- Motorola “Moto G” trademark discovered… but what is it?
- T-Mobile holding “Tweet Conference” to #unleashthetablet tomorrow; could bring tablet trade-ins
- CyanogenMod 10.2 nightlies head to Verizon’s LG G2
- HOT DEAL: Get Swiftkey Keyboard for 50% off!
- Here are 6 videos to help you learn to use BBM for Android (and how to skip to the front of the line)
- Verizon Moto X soak test update starts rolling out
- New Nokia devices and iPads today — where to get more info on all the competition
- Google’s FlexyCore purchase could mean a smoother Android for the future
| Aereo finally arrives on Google Play, lets you stream live television on your phone or tablet Posted: 22 Oct 2013 06:13 PM PDT When Aereo announced that — after releasing on iOS back in May — an Android app was in the works, I nearly leaped for joy. As someone who can’t justify paying an extra $40 a month just to watch my favorite television shows, Aereo’s promise of live channel streaming from the comfort of my Android device or laptop sounded like a godsend. After encountering some resistance early on (broadcasters took the matter to the Supreme Court), the application finally hit the Google Play Store today where it’s currently available to download in beta form (Android 4.2+). Keep in mind Aereo is only available in a few select markets to initially, with more to come in the near future. Here’s the current list:
If you’re in one of those cities and would like to give Aereo a shot, it’s free for the first month, and $8 month thereafter. Don’t see your city on the list but want Aereo to come to your town? You can vote where Aereo will head to next on their website here. |
| Omate TrueSmart will not launch with Google Play and Google Services Posted: 22 Oct 2013 05:33 PM PDT When the Omate TrueSmart Smartwatch 2.0 Kickstarter project was announced, it boasted a milestone. This would be the first smartwatch to ship with the Google Play Store and Google Services. This meant that you’d have access to thousands and thousands of Android applications and be able to take on Google’s arsenal of Android services that require Google Services, such as Hangouts, Gmail, YouTube and more. Omate has finally announced the fate of Google Play on their upcoming device and some of you aren’t going to be happy. Shortly after the Kickstarter project launched, many speculations arose surrounding the watches supposed support for Google Play. Omate has taken to their Kickstarter project page to let backers know that trouble lies ahead. You see, for a device to pass the Google Play Store’s CTS (Compatibility Test Suite), the device would have to have a screen with a minimum of 426 x 320 dp. The Omate TrueSmart Smartwatch 2.0 sports a screen that does not meet the minimum requirements, coming in at 240 x 240 dp. Even Google’s own Dianne Hackborn weighed in on the issue on Google+ a few weeks ago. Finally, after 2 months of speculation, Omate has come clean and announced that the TrueSmart Developer Edition will not launch with Google Play Services as originally promised.
Omate does state that they are committed to the cause and are “still working closely with Google over Google Play and Google Services issues,” hoping to bring Google Services over to their smartwatch in the future. In the interim period, Omate has announced the “OStore.” Omate is currently working closely with app developers to ensure apps are compatible with the OStore, but more importantly to ensure that apps do in fact come with the OStore at launch. Let’s hope they don’t repeat what happened to Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, launching with limited app support. Source: Omate Kickstarter |
| PSA: Careful with those Nexus 5 “pre-orders” popping up on eBay Posted: 22 Oct 2013 05:31 PM PDT Our Spidey senses are telling us that the Nexus 5 release is just around the corner. We’ve seen enough leaks, even the official packaging showing the N5 coming in both black and white varieties. If retailers in some part of the world already have the Google’s latest phone in their possession, it doesn’t seem too far fetched to believe others do as well. That being said, you might be scrounging the net looking for 3rd party outlets to ensure you aren’t one of the many prospective buyers left high and dry on launch day, even if it means paying a little extra for it. Take this latest eBay listing we were tipped off to a few moments go. The listing shows five Nexus 5s currently available for pre-order, shipping between Oct. 24th, and Oct. 26th. At first glance, it seems legit. Seller has a perfect 100% satisfaction rating, and according to the listing, you can buy a Nexus 5 32GB for a reasonable $650. Before you rush off to buy one for yourself, scroll down a little further and the description lets you know exactly what you’re paying for. Apparently, you would only be paying for this seller to attempt and pick up the Nexus 5 32GB on launch day, in which case he will flip it and sell it to you for a sizable profit. It’s not a thousand dollars by any means, but enough to where you’d probably want to wait and try your luck on launch day which — after deciphering Kit Kat’s social updates — was… yesterday. Drat. |
| Posted: 22 Oct 2013 04:12 PM PDT An updated YouTube app is currently rolling out in the Google Play Store. We should warn you that there doesn’t seem to be any surface changes. All the fun stuff is under the hood where it appears Google is getting the app ready for the November’s scheduled offline video support feature. Even better, it looks like Google is preparing a future update enabling one of the most sought after features in YouTube’s history: Background Audio.
As the name suggests, the upcoming option will let users start up a video, then allow the audio from said video to continue playing while in another app, or even while the screen is off. Pretty. Effin. Nuts. You can either wait for the YouTube update to hit your device, or download and install via the above link. Recently, iOS users received the ability to choose their stream quality — 360p, 480p, or 720p — so let’s hope this will also make it’s way to Android devices in the near future. |
| Samsung said to limit third-party accessory support Posted: 22 Oct 2013 03:05 PM PDT Samsung may be becoming too powerful for its own good. The #1 smartphone manufacturer holds over half the smartphone marketshare in the world, giving it the ability to call its shots. What could be the next big move? Rumors suggest Samsung may be looking into locking it’s third-party accessory support. The rumor is that Samsung plans to plant chips in their accessories, which would allow the phone to recognize whether it is approved or not by Samsung. Only Samsung would be able to dictate if that charger, battery pack, battery or cover can be used with Samsung phones. Meaning only Samsung’s accessories and Samsung-approved third-party accessories will be available to Samsung customers. The GoodThis sounds like a disaster, but let’s look at what could be a good consequence to such decision. Ideally, your accessories and phone will work better. Ever heard of those scary battery explosions? They usually happen because of faulty and/or cheap third-party accessories. Not to mention, a lot of chargers can be slow, affecting the user experience. This would ensure that your pockets have less explosions and Samsung’s pockets have more cash. The BadOf course, we would say the bad definitely outweighs the good here. Because accessories would need to be approved, they would probably also raise in price. There is also the loss of convenience that comes with the standardization of ports and accessories. You wouldn’t be able to ask a buddy for his charger while staying over at his house, unless the have Samsung charger. Do you think this will happen?In a way, such a move would feel like Samsung is tabbing the Android ecosystem in the back. It would be similar to Apple and its proprietary accessories. That locked ecosystem we hate could become a huge part of Android. I know I would not be down for this and I am more than ready to put my money where my mouth is. We are also sure many of our readers would be infuriated to see Samsung do something like this. Honestly, I doubt they will, but you never know. Would you be ok with Samsung (or any manufacturer, for that matter) do something like this? |
| Motorola “Moto G” trademark discovered… but what is it? Posted: 22 Oct 2013 02:54 PM PDT We’ve seen the names for upcoming devices first revealed in trademark filings. It was only a short time ago when plans for a Samsung smartwatch were still just a rumor. After doing some snooping around, we discovered a Samsung trademark filing for the “Gear”. Turns out, we had uncovered the official name for what would eventually become Sammy’s first Android smartwatch. Today we did some more digging and a little doozy of a trademark turned up. Motorola has just filed a trademark for a mysterious device named the “Moto G”. If that name sounds familiar to you, it’s one that’s been heard whispered in Android forums and back alleys for almost as long as the Moto X. While Motorola’s description of the product is broad — it could be anything from a smartphone, to an external charger, or something in between — we’ve heard of an upcoming Motorola device on the horizon, and yes, the “Moto G” was a title thrown around in reference to it. Now here comes the gross speculation: while Motorola seems to have their hands full with the recently released Moto X, Droid Ultra, and Droid Maxx — the Moto G could be the official name for the X once/if it arrives on Google Play running a stock Android experience. “G” for Google…. get it? Other than that, we’re out of ideas. Now it’s your turn. What do you think the Moto G could possibly be?
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| T-Mobile holding “Tweet Conference” to #unleashthetablet tomorrow; could bring tablet trade-ins Posted: 22 Oct 2013 01:58 PM PDT T-Mobile just informed us of an interesting announcement they’ll be making tomorrow. According to a press release, this will be part two of un-carrier phase 3. They hinted that they would be “un-leashing” tablets tomorrow, which we assume means they’ll be looking to do something unique in the way they offer the various tablets they sell. So what could it be? Well, for starters, a trusted source of ours is telling us that T-Mobile will look to offer tablet trade-ins toward the purchase of a new tablet. T-Mobile currently offers a similar service for phones, but to this day have yet to accept tablet trade-ins. Other predictions We’re not so sure that’s all that’s going on here, though, as T-Mobile’s un-carrier announcements usually bring us “bold” changes other carriers aren’t already doing. With that, we’re getting a bit happy-go-lucky with our predictions over here at the office (just as we did the last time T-Mobile began teasing un-carrier announcements). So what could be on tap in regards to T-Mobile’s tablets?
OK, OK, we admit it — we’re still a bit too hopeful T-Mobile will bring back the free cupcake with purchase thing they did back when the G1 first came out. This could just be T-Mobile’s “coming out” event for their first 4G iPad. Whatever the case may be, we’re as eager as we’ve ever been to get in on what T-Mobile’s calling a live “Tweet Conference.” If you are, too, be sure to follow T-Mobile’s official Twitter account, and set aside some time around 9am Pacific time to follow along. You can also Tweet your questions to @TMobile with the hashtag #unleashthetablet, and CEO John Legere and CMO Mike Sievert might answer some of them throughout this thirty minute session. Anyone else as excited as us to see what T-Mobile could be doing to shake things up yet again? |
| CyanogenMod 10.2 nightlies head to Verizon’s LG G2 Posted: 22 Oct 2013 12:41 PM PDT Waiting for CyanogenMod to head to the Verizon variant of the LG G2? Well, you’re in luck — it’s happening! The current files going up on CyanogenMod’s mirror are nightlies, though, which is something you might not want to mess with if you aren’t willing to put up with possible bugs here and there. The 208 megabyte download can be flashed to any rooted, bootloader-unlocked device with a custom recovery. Of course, whether you should sacrifice some of the G2′s most unique features to get a taste of one of the most popular ROMs around is a decision you’ll have to make on your own. If things like LG KnockOn, Q-Slide and the SlideAside user interface are important to you, know that you will lose these things as a result of flashing an AOSP-based ROM. That said, if you’re comfortable with going through with this whole thing, you can find the download over at Get.CM. Less adventurous souls might prefer to wait until beta, milestone or stable releases are made available, but as with any CyanogenMod release — there’s no ETA on the OTA. |
| HOT DEAL: Get Swiftkey Keyboard for 50% off! Posted: 22 Oct 2013 11:57 AM PDT Swiftkey became one of the most successful keyboards in the Google Play Store very quickly after its release. Its prediction technology, fun layouts, language support and cloud features have made it my very own go-to keyboard. I use it on all my devices and simply can’t find a keyboard I like better. Today would be a great day to jump on this keyboard if you haven’t yet. Swiftkey is offering its third-party keyboard for only $1.99, giving you a 50% discount. This is really the keyboard I recommend the most to all my fellow Android users. We put it in our top list of Android keyboards and gave it a great review in the past. This offer is active only today, so make sure you make your decision soon. You have until tonight! Go buy it straight from the Google Play Store. |
| Posted: 22 Oct 2013 09:47 AM PDT With the long-awaited launch of Blackberry Messenger for Android, some folks who have never used the messaging service might be wondering how to get started. Thankfully, the friendly folks at Blackberry have taken to YouTube with a smorgasbord of help videos for those who might be a little lost. Instructions range from conducting multiple person chats to read receipts, and everything in between. You can find the rest of them right here. There’s only one problem for most people — that long line of over 5 million people might be making it difficult for you to receive your PIN. If you’re tired of waiting and want to get started right away, there’s a workaround you can exploit:
After that, for some odd reason, you’ll be able to set your account up, make a Blackberry ID and get your BBM PIN, and party like it’s 1999 all over again. Now, if only someone could tell me how to convince more of my friends to use Blackberry Messenger so I actually have a reason to use it… [via CNET] |
| Verizon Moto X soak test update starts rolling out Posted: 22 Oct 2013 08:20 AM PDT We’d heard Verizon users were being invited to a soak test for a new Motorola X upgrade, and now that test is rolling out to those who have decided to participate. We’re looking at version 159.15.1.en.US, which will bring about the following changes:
We’re not sure how big this update clocks in at, but it’s always a good idea to get onto a WiFi connection and charge your battery to 30-50% to make sure things go smoothly. If you’re not in the soak test, don’t worry — Motorola usually starts pushing these things out to the rest of the herd just days later. Let us know if you were able to pull the update down, and if any of the above fixes have improved the overall experience for you! |
| New Nokia devices and iPads today — where to get more info on all the competition Posted: 22 Oct 2013 06:50 AM PDT While we’re waiting for Google to officially announce the Nexus 5 (we know they’re getting close), you may have forgotten that some of the competition has some exciting stuff to show off today. It’s not a bad idea to get knowledgeable about what they’ve got going on, so let’s take a really quick look. Nokia Phones, Phablets, and Tablets, oh my! Nokia already did that with several new phones and tablets to bless the world with. Starting with the Nokia Lumia 1520, this phone stretches the limit with a 6-inch 1080p HD display, and also sports a Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 20 megapixel PureView camera, a 3,400 mAh battery and more. The Nokia Lumia 1320 was also announced, and while this device also has a 6-inch display it’s be aimed at the budget market. A dual-core processor, a 5 megapixel camera sensor and 720p HD resolution make sure of that. Finally, Nokia has announced their first ever Windows tablet. Dubbed the Nokia Lumia 2520, you’ll be getting a slate with a 10-inch 1080p display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 6.7 megapixel camera, 2 megapixel front camera, 4G LTE and more. The Lumia 2520 will run Windows RT 8.1 out of the box. It’ll cost $500, and you can add more to that price tag if you opt for a keyboard cover that adds another 5 hours of battery life. You can find out even more about these juicy devices and more Windows news over at WinSource. New Apple iPads and Mac OSX Maverick Apple’s rumored to be launching two new iPads today — an updated retina-enabled Mini, and a full-sized iPad that will share design characteristics similar to the Mini (meaning they’ve made it smaller and lighter overall). We’re also expecting the full-sized iPad to get Apple’s A7 processor, and there’s a chance we could be seeing a fingerprint scanner on this one. For you Mac fans, there’s a decent chance Apple could also be announcing release details for Mac OSX Maverick, the latest system update for the operating system. iSource already has the details about that and everything else they expect to see come out of today’s 1PM Eastern event, so be sure to head over there to see what the big fuss will be about. Who’s going to follow along? Let us know if you’ll be breaking out of the Android bubble for a bit to catch up on news from the rest of the tech circle today. If not, feel free to let us know why (we think we know why, but we just want to be sure) in the comments below! |
| Google’s FlexyCore purchase could mean a smoother Android for the future Posted: 22 Oct 2013 06:46 AM PDT We’re not sure what Google is supposed to be bringing us with Android 4.4 KitKat, but perhaps smoother operating system performance is something they’ve been working on. They’ve already moved the platform along with initiatives like Project Butter and TRIM in the latest Jelly Bean releases, and now it seems they’ve been looking at more ways they can increase performance. French publication L’Express is reporting that Google has bought startup firm FlexyCore for $23 million, a company known for an app called DroidBooster that can noticeably improve software performance (even on phones with lesser hardware). In ARM’s words:
DroidBooster quite honestly sounds like one of those cheesy placebo apps which promise to speed your phone up at one click of a button, but if Google believes they’re worth $23 million they must be doing something significant. It’s reported that FlexyCore has already integrated with the Google team for quite some time, so we might see the fruits of this new marriage sooner than later. Google’s original promise of making Android Kit Kat ”an amazing Android experience available for everybody” could have hinted toward their desire to get smoother performance on even the weakest of devices. That said, we can’t be sure of what they truly meant until they make the details official. Let’s hope that happens at some point this week. [via GigaOM] |
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